How to Fix Nexus 7 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Lag Issues

It looks like Nexus 7 owners who have been experiencing Android 4.2 Jelly Bean lag issues have a possible fix that seems to be working for some owners who have been dealing with a sluggish operating system.

Last week, it became clear that some Nexus 7 owners who updated to the latest Android software, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, were fighting a host of issues brought along with the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update. One of the issues that users have been complaining about is a lag issue wherein the device’s operating system is slow and extremely sluggish at times.

Now though it appears that a member of XDA-Developers forums named fishingfon has discovered a potential fix for those who are experiencing lag issues within Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The Nexus 7 lag issues in Android 4.2 seem to have a simple fix.

It appears that Google Currents, Google’s Flipboard-like application that offers news in a magazine style format, might be the cause of the lag issues for at least some Nexus 7 device owners. And it appears that simply by changing a setting in Google Currents, the lag issues for many owners have subsided. Here is a method to try for those that have been experiencing lag issues in Android 4.2.

1) First, open up the device’s app drawer.

2) Open up Google Currents.

3) In the top right corner of the application, find the three vertical dots. Tap those.

4) Select the “Settings” option.

5) Uncheck “Enable Background Sync.”

6) Reboot the Nexus 7.

Just disabling Google Currents may work as well.

After the reboot, it seems many Nexus 7 owners are experiencing a much smoother experience. There is also another more drastic option to try if that first method doesn’t work for Nexus 7 owners.

1) Go into Settings.

2) Tap “Apps.”

3) Scroll over to “All” at the top by first tapping “Running” in the bar.

4) Find “Currents” and tap it.

5) Tap “Disable”.

This will disable Google Currents completely and is an option for those that don’t use the service whatsoever and are experiencing the lag issues in the latest version of Jelly Bean.

Like many fixes, this may not work for every Nexus 7 owner out there but it’s certainly worth a try for Nexus 7 owners who may be experiencing lag issues.

Of course, this is only one issue users have been experiencing with Android 4.2. Other issues include random reboots, screen flickering, issues with Bluetooth quality and connectivity, abnormal battery drain, slow charging and a December bug that Google has promised to fix soon.

It’s unclear if that fix will come in a Android 4.2.1 update and if it does, whether the other issues will be taken care of as well.

marko76

11/30/2012 at 4:16 pm

What is really upsetting about both updates are the problems with app cache. Most every app can only be reduced to 12 kb. Even more intersting, when I have less than 1mb of data for an app, and over 1mb of cache, clearing the smaller data value also clears the larger cache setting.

Then in a little while the cache begins to increase without even using the app.

The Nexus I recently purchased with 4.2.1 is not playing nicely. OK for few days, but now the screen flickers and freezes frequently. The notification area rolls down when it feels like it. I haven’t rooted it. Very disappointed with it.

Andrew

04/15/2013 at 10:03 am

Have disabled currents but my once smooth and fast nexus 7 is still struggling. Screen keeps freezing and games that used to work perfectly are now very slow and some are literally unplayable. (Standard tablet – owned for 5 months without problem before the last day or so!)